"Serious Concern": UN Rights Council Adopts Resolution Against Sri Lanka

The text, drafted by Britain, Germany, Canada and several other countries, spotlighted Sri Lanka's ongoing failure to ensure accountability for atrocities committed during its civil war that ended in 2009.

The UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday criticised the erosion of judicial independence, marginalisation of minorities and impunity in Sri Lanka, and urged the UN to ramp up evidence-gathering. The Geneva-based body approved a resolution expressing "serious concern" at the situation. With 22 countries voting in favour of the text, 11 opposed and 14 abstaining, the 47-member council pointed to "trends emerging over the past year, which represent a clear early warning sign of a deteriorating situation of human rights in Sri Lanka". At the start of the current council session last month, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena slammed the resolution as politically motivated -- a sentiment reiterated on Tuesday by the country's ambassador.